Gluten intolerance is an organism's inability to tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. In humans, the intolerance manifests in various forms in different individuals, including celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, and wheat allergy. This type of disorder is often genetically inherited; and because the lesion is caused by the immune system, it is considered an autoimmune disorder.
The production of anti-gliadin antibodies by an intolerant individual after the consumption of food containing gluten flattens out or damages the villi of the small intestine, responsible for the absorption of nutrients, vitamins and trace elements. The result is that food particles leak into the bloodstream, and the body's natural defense system sees these particles as “foreign invaders.” The problem becomes two-fold: the body cannot absorb important nutrients and the body seems to attack itself at the same time.
Symptoms of gluten intolerance range widely, but as time passes, researchers are finding more and more links to gluten intolerance and chronic illnesses. In sum, symptoms may include one or more of the following, plus symptoms not listed: leaky gut, celiac disease; skin problems (chronic rashes, itching, sores, inflammation); allergic reactions of many sorts; bowel problems, including cramping; bloating; mouth sores (mouth ulcers); eczema; low immunity to disease; neurological dysfunction; and headaches.
Gluten intolerance is connected to gastro-intestinal disorders and the consequences are considerable for human development and health maintenance. Celiac disease is a type of more commonly manifested form of gluten intolerance. The symptoms and manifestations of celiac disease differ, very often, from case to case and depending on age of the affected individuals. Infants present gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, often, bulky and particularly fetid defecation and immobility or loss of weight. Children, besides the symptoms described above, may present nausea, vomiting, anorexia, anemia, dermatitis and mouth aphtha. They may present irritability as well. Adults, at the initial stage of the disease present a general feeling of sickness and fatigue, even when gastrointestinal disturbances are limited. Further, because of the limited absorption of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients, anemia, osteopenia, as well as neural and hormonal disorders are noted. Details about celiac disease can be found Fasano et al., 2003, “Prevalence of Celiac Disease in At-Risk and Not-At-Risk Groups in the United States: A Large Multicenter Study,” Arch Intern Med. 163:286-292; Mäki et al., 2003, “Prevalence of Celiac Disease among Children in Finland,” The New England Journal of Medicine, 348:2517-2524; Sollid et al., 1989, “Evidence for a primary association of celiac disease to a particular HLA-DQ alpha/beta heterodimer,” The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 169(1): 345; Suanderline 1994, “Celiac Disease: a Review,” Gastroenterology Nursing 17(3), 100-105; and Reifa and Lerner, 2004, “Tissue transglutaminase—the Key Player in Celiac Disease: a Review,” Autoimmunity Reviews, 3(1):40-45; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Although gluten intolerance-related diseases, such as celiac disease, are serious and often chronic diseases, they can be treated quite effectively, without medication or medical intervention. It is recommended amongst other things in the treatment of celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, and wheat allergy.
The treatment is a strict life-long gluten-free diet, which results in the restoration of the small intestine wall in a normal condition and the control of the disease. Special attention should be given even to least gluten quantities because the degree of the lesion caused to the small intestine and the time of restoration are disproportional.